Class of 2024 TE Michael Smith (GA) TRANSFERRING TO SYRACUSE (1/4/26)

[orangepassion]

It does
The other side, do we what someone on the team that doesn't want to be here?

If he doesn't follow the rules, he doesn't play and should get his money docked. It worked out fine for Jason Hart. You signed a contract, man up. Again, it's just one year.

 

[Jake]

Given what has transpired in the past week, does anybody really want this guy here? Do you really think he would stay more than one year? It was set up for a bad ending in any event. Let’s take the kid that wants to be here.

 

[richmondcuse03]

Given what has transpired in the past week, does anybody really want this guy here? Do you really think he would stay more than one year? It was set up for a bad ending in any event. Let’s take the kid that wants to be here.

agreed. but we should get a pound of flesh out of SC for it and set a precedent. They can pay whatever we were giving him with their SEC money.

 

[PeteCalvin]

If he doesn't follow the rules, he doesn't play and should get his money docked. It worked out fine for Jason Hart. You signed a contract, man up. Again, it's just one year.

Jason Hart was put in a very uncomfortable position by a sleezy coach who tried to leverage Jason’s brother’s illness to smear SU and force them to release Jason. Harrick lost his primary PG target, Olujimi Mann, at the last minute, and immediately went after Hart trying to play up the illness angle with his family. The “you could stay home and be near your brother. Tell Syracuse you want to change your mind because of your brother’s condition.” In reality, Jason’s brother’s condition hadn’t changed at all, but that was the leverage UCLA encouraged him to use. JB smelled a rat and was way ahead of Harrick. Jason wanted to come to SU, and his brother was happy for him. There must have been some other promises ($$$) that Harrick made to the family to put Jason in the position to make the call and try and get out of his NLI. JB and Jake shielded Jason by saying no way to letting him out of it. They did Jason a favor.

Kind of ironic, and very telling, that Harrick was let go by the Bruins the following year because of another recruiting scandal. I still think the Jason Hart situation is what really resulted in his eventual firing. The second scandal that was put forth in the tabloids was far less egregious. Harrick was as slippery as they come. I think he got booted from UGA a few seasons later for the same crap.

 

[SanDiegoCuse]

I understand not wanting a player who doesn’t want to be there. But three days before this he’s in an article talking about needing to get out of his comfort zone? I hate all of this crap.

 

[PAcuse]

If he doesn't follow the rules, he doesn't play and should get his money docked. It worked out fine for Jason Hart. You signed a contract, man up. Again, it's just one year.

It's the wild west at this point, no one to inforce the rules.
I'm sure all the D1 schools are following all the rules...

(I am 100% for him having to do what he signed up for)

 

[Orangezoo]

Given what has transpired in the past week, does anybody really want this guy here? Do you really think he would stay more than one year? It was set up for a bad ending in any event. Let’s take the kid that wants to be here.

Yep let them pay him then he underwhelms or leaves halfway through the season and be their dime and problem.

 

[HeaterCuse22]

If I were Coach Fran, I would bring him into the office and just ask him straight
up, do you want to be here or not? If he doesn't want to be, let him leave. Better to have a potential lockerroom cancer gone, or a disgruntled player
giving a half-hearted effort on the field...let him go.

Wow. I bet Fran never thought of that.

 

[orangemass]

What happened?

 

[Banion]

Wow. I bet Fran never thought of that.

Damn boss, that hit hard. Just trying to be a part of the 'family' here. Been here daily for years, but don't post
my opinions much, and your come back is the reason why. But no problem, I'll continue to read the posts here
from the adults, and put the toddlers on my ignore list.

 

[PAcuse]

Damn boss, that hit hard. Just trying to be a part of the 'family' here. Been here daily for years, but don't post
my opinions much, and your come back is the reason why. But no problem, I'll continue to read the posts here
from the adults, and put the toddlers on my ignore list.

Keep posting and ignore the odd answers you'll get. Lots of good folks on here.

 

[baggerbob]

Given what has transpired in the past week, does anybody really want this guy here? Do you really think he would stay more than one year? It was set up for a bad ending in any event. Let’s take the kid that wants to be here.

To your question, I already said that having someone here who didn't want to be here would cause problems. So let him go.

 

[NJCuse97]

No way you let him go without the fight. As others have said, it sets a terrible precedent for SU, the NCAA, the whole system. USC-east should be fined, something that begins to hurt them. Send a message to other tampering coaches. Fine the coach and the school. $1million each. Give that money to SU as compensation for the indiscretion, (probably only half since the NCAA won't do anything without getting their take). Then make the player sit out a year. He should pay a penalty for not honoring a contract. Maybe he doesn't lose a year of eligibility, but he's not on the team, can't work out with the team, doesn't lose his scholarship, so you're not stopping him from an education, but you can't reward him for not honoring a contract, and you can't let the Cocks get what they want with no consequence, or it's open season. No I don't want a player who doesn't want to be here, but you can't let this stand that we are the only one being punished. At a minimum it makes SU look like a pushover.

 

[anomander]

Should have just went after the NMSU kid, Gavin Harris. Top 5 in receiving yards for TE. Instead ended up at Georgia Tech.

 

[CarolinaCuse]

It does
The other side, do we what someone on the team that doesn't want to be here?

Technically, he didn’t want to be at SC either, given that he quit the team after four games last year. If they want him back after that, it says a lot about SC coaches.